Garibaldi Provincial Park

Garibaldi Lake

Sea to Sky Gondola

Panorama Ridge

Sea to Sky Gondola

Upper Shannon Falls

Cirque Lake

SquamishHikingTrails

Squamish sits in the midst of some amazing places to hike. Garibaldi Provincial Park sprawls from Squamish up and beyond Whistler. Tantalus Provincial Park lays across the valley to the west and the beautiful and desolate, by comparison, Callaghan Valley to the north.

GaribaldiProvincialPark

Garibaldi Provincial Park wraps around Squamish and is home to some amazing hiking trails. Garibaldi Lake, Panorama Ridge, Black Tusk and Elfin Lakes are all wonderful hiking destinations is this extraordinary Provincial Park so close to Squamish.

Coliseum Mountain is one of several beautiful hikes in the Lynn Valley's beautiful Lynn Headwaters Regional Park. It's not terribly difficult, but it is very long. 12 kilometres from the trailhead to the summit. More than half of that, 7 kilometres is along the very easy Headwaters Trail. The final 5 kilometres is at times challenging, but manageable by most.

The route is well marked along the way with flagging tape, so the main safety concern is the distance of the trail. 24k roundtrip will take most hikers 8+ hours, so be prepared with lots of food and start early. At a decent hiking pace you should reach the summit in 4.5 hours and take 3.5 hours back to the trailhead. But of course that doesn't include marvelling at the views from the top or the various stops along the way.

If you are an avid trail runner, you will love the Coliseum Mountain trail. Few people, tremendous views and a challenging distance. Give yourself 2 hours up and 1.5 hours down if you keep a good pace. There are plenty of water sources to fill up on water along the route as well as an inviting, very small lake near the summit to jump into.There are a few amazing stops on the way to the summit of Coliseum Mountain. The first big one is Norvan Falls, 7k from the trailhead at Lynn Headwaters Park. This beautiful falls is the sole destination for many people to this park, and when you see it you will know why. A beautiful falls at the end of a beautiful trail along Lynn Creek.

The next amazing sight along the trail, further up towards Coliseum Mountain is within the mighty old growth forest the trail ascends into. Once you hit the old growth, and you will know when you have, keep your eyes out for trail markings to your right at Norvan Pools. This will lead you to Norvan's Castle, one of the world's largest Hemlock trees.

At the summit of Coliseum Mountain you have tremendous views all around. Vancouver, the nearby Crown Mountain, Goat Mountain, Mount Fromme, Lynn Peak and Cathedral Mountain. As well as the more distant Lions at a much less recognizable angle. The imposing mountain, just north of Coliseum is Mount Burwell, less than an hours hike away and yet another beautiful peak in the amazing Lynn Valley. The map below is the one found at the trailhead to the park.